


Blind Truth

by KibaSin



Series: Past Time [54]
Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, Naruto
Genre: Christmas, F/M, Falling In Love, Light-Hearted, Mistletoe, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-30
Updated: 2013-11-30
Packaged: 2018-01-03 00:23:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1063469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KibaSin/pseuds/KibaSin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They had been inseparable since she had been discovered and saved from certain death. However, what they shared was ignored, until the first snow of winter began to fall.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blind Truth

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any material belonging to the respective owners of _Inuyasha_ or _Naruto._

* * *

"Naruto-kun!"

Naruto turned, his smile brightening when he realized who had called his name. He ignored his friends as he raised his hand and yelled back, "Kagome-chan!"

The black haired woman raced toward the blonde, a large smile plastered onto her face. Her feet picked up the pace when he noticed her presence, while her heart fluttered softly. She ignored the feeling, though, because he had become her truest and greatest friend since she found herself within Konohagakure, and she did not wish to ruin such a friendship. "Naruto-kun, I'm so happy you're alright," she breathed once she stopped in front of him.

Naruto's smile widened, his hand flattening on his vest, over his heart. "No need to fear, Kagome-chan, I powerful shinobi such as myself would never let a B-ranked mission stop me from coming home," he declared. "After all, I wouldn't be able to become Hokage someday if I let a little mission scare me away!"

Kagome nodded in agreement. However, she frowned a bit when she noticed the cut over his cheek, and reached out to touch it softly. "What happened to cause this, Naruto-kun?" she asked.

"Oh, it was nothin'," Naruto grinned. "Some Iwa-shinobi jumped Sasuke-teme, so I had to go save him—"

Said Uchiha made a small sound in the back of his throat.

"—One of them caught me off guard was all," Naruto continued. "He threw a kunai, and it nicked me a bit, but it's nothin' to worry about. I was too busy trying to get the other four off Sasuke-teme to notice him, but Sakura-chan gave him a nice punch to the face for me."

Sakura sighed, "Sasuke- _kun_  could have protected himself, Naruto. You didn't need to go jumping in there like you were suddenly going to be the hero. It was rash and stupid, but I have to admit…" Sakura decided not to finish because of the way Naruto was gazing at her. He looked like a puppy just waiting for his master's appraisal, and though she cared for him, she was not going to inflate his ego.

Kagome grazed her hand over the small mark once more, and smiled when it was gone the next instant. Sasuke and Sakura were used to her strange skills in healing, so she was not surprised when they ignored the small occurrence. However, she smiled at them, since they were the ones that Naruto often leaned on, and the ones that usually brought him home. "I'm just glad you're alright," she said.

"Well, you don't need to worry about that, Kagome-chan," Naruto chuckled. "No way some weak Iwa-shinobi are going to get the best of me."

Kagome nodded, but wished silently that she could go with them on their missions. However, Tsunade-sama had made it quite clear once she learned of her healing abilities, and watched her try to practice with Sasuke, that she would be needed at the hospital. They considered her a medic-nin, but Tsunade-sama refused to acknowledge the fact that others put  _nin_  into the profession. Not to mention the fact that Tsunade-sama argued that Sakura was with them, and she was trained to be a medic-nin, so they did not need one that could not do more than strange jutsu.

"Don't worry, Kagome-chan, I'll protect the knucklehead from himself," Sakura sighed.

A blush spread over Kagome's face, and she mumbled, "Well, as Naruto-kun said, I'm sure that he can protect himself. There's certainly no reason for me to be concerned over a few cuts or bruises, especially ones that will heal within no time. I mean, he does have the added chakra of…"

"Enough," Sasuke said, glaring at her slightly.

Naruto glared back at him, "Hey, stop being so rude, Sasuke-teme!"

"Tch," the Uchiha replied. He turned his head, refusing to fall into one of Naruto's arguments over the girl once more. He knew that the dobe had a soft spot for her, even if he refused to admit it, because she had accepted him before and after she knew about what he was. However, Sasuke thought that it was ridiculous that his teammate simply did not acknowledge it, and refused to place any type of claim on her—he would have, but his first goal was not yet complete, and he knew that Naruto needed someone like her.

"Bastard," Naruto mumbled under his breath. "Always thinking he's better than everyone else."

Sakura smiled at the embarrassment that Kagome had shown. She stepped up at the girl's side, and stated, "So, Christmas is coming up soon. I'm sure that the others are planning on some type of party, and Naruto will drag you along."

"I know," Kagome smiled. "I've already got gifts for everyone—or, at least nearly everyone. I haven't quite decided what I'm going to get Sasuke-san or Neji-san. In fact, I was going to ask Hinata-chan what Neji-san might like when I saw you guys enter the gates."

"I still have to get everyone something," Sakura sighed, "but I know what I'm going to get Sasuke-kun!"

"Oh?" Kagome blinked. She knew that Sasuke had not shown interest in any female since she had formed a friendship with Naruto, though she suspected that something was ticking in his head each time his dark eyes turned toward her. However, she hoped Sakura luck when she was either accepted, or had to face the fact that Sasuke would not hold her heart in his hand the way she wanted him to. Until then, though, she hoped that the Uchiha would not be too rude.

"Oh, yes! I saw it just the other day, and I instantly knew that I have to get it," Sakura grinned. "I'm sure that it will be the thing that finally cracks the ice." However, though she said it, a part of her whispered that she needed to give up on Sasuke. Her crush had lasted so long, and she was sure that she loved him, but she was not sure how long she would be willing to wait for him. Just the other day she had been watching children play and wished to one day have her own, only to turn and think that Sasuke might never kill his brother, thus never have time to create a family.

"I'm sure that he'll love it, Sakura-chan," Kagome said. "But, then again, I should not try to determine anything about Sasuke-san. Even now he confuses and angers me."

Sakura bristled a bit, "You're starting to crush on Sasuke-kun?"

Kagome's shoulder dropped at the statement. She had sensed Sakura's sadness when she mentioned the ice cracking, but it was gone now that she thought she would have more competition for his heart. So, she shook her head, and replied, "No. I'm afraid that Sasuke-san is a bit too dark for my tastes. I understand the reason that he does what he does, but I am not the type to go looking for trouble—it usually falls on me, instead."

Sakura's tension eased, and she wished that she was not so quick to judge. However, Sasuke was something that she had always wanted for herself, and herself alone, and she was not sure if she could have won his heart if Kagome was chasing after it. Yes, she considered looking for love elsewhere, but the thought of Kagome jumping in and easily capturing his love with her kindness and understanding was  _not_  something she wished to think about. Or ever see. "Sorry."

"It's alright, Sakura-chan." Kagome shook the statement away with ease. "I know what it's like to like someone, but never have them like you back."

Sakura blinked, and silently wondered to herself.  _Do you, Kagome-chan_? But, Sakura supposed that she would never know, since the only one in the village to know her true story was Tsunade-sama. And the woman had been tight lipped on any subject concerning Higurashi Kagome and her past.

* * *

She nudged her companion, and asked, "Aren't they the cutest thing you've ever seen?"

The male simply sighed and returned to trying to rest his head on the table. He did not care if Ino considered anything cute or cuddly or fashionable, he merely wanted to lay back and do  _nothing_. He knew, especially when knowing each and every personality of those around him, that it would only be a matter of time before something went wrong with this party. Until then, he did not want to care about anything, and he supposed that Ino would never understand that.

Ino scowled at him when he did not answer. "I swear, Shikamaru, you're getting lazier everyday. Why can't you be more like Sasuke-kun?"

"Who would want to be like a stuck-up Uchiha, Ino?" Shikamaru asked.

"Sasuke-kun's  _not_  stuck-up!" Ino growled. "Take that back, Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru ignored her, deciding that allowing her to ramble on about how her precious Sasuke was not stuck-up was much better than arguing with her about it. It required less effort on his part, and he liked it better that way.

Ino, noticing that Shikamaru was not paying her any attention, returned her eyes to the pair moving about together. The girl was smiling up at the blonde at her side, and it was  _so_  obvious that they had feelings for one another—it might even be  _love_ —but they refused to even notice it. Instead, Naruto decided to follow her around as he had been assigned originally, saying that he was fulfilling his duties as a good friend by escorting his female companion about the village. Oh, but there was so much more than that, Ino knew, and the underlying romance caused her to sigh in hope that one day she would find someone to love her  _that_  much.

Preferably Sasuke—or someone a lot like him.

She turned to glare at Shikamaru once more, and thought,  _and someone much, much different than his lazy ass_. Shikamaru might be considered a genius, and he might have been a big help with a lot of missions when they were genin, but she could not see herself with someone like him.  _No_ , it gave her chills to think of herself living with someone who would rather look at clouds than her—she did not try so hard in the morning to be submitted to that.

"How troublesome," Shikamaru muttered when he felt Ino's glare drilling into his head. Sometimes he wished that looks could kill, because then he would be long gone and no longer have a care in the world. He would be at peace until whatever happened, happened, and not have to worry about the next time he would have to listen to his old teammate complaining.

Ino rolled her eyes, watching as Kagome pointed something out and Naruto said something about it. The girl was obviously in love from the way that she giggled at the comment, trying to avoid the blonde's eyes afterward. The girl seemed to be a bit embarrassed, and it reminded Ino a bit of another one of her friends.

She frowned a bit, since she had always thought that Naruto would end up with Hinata, and they would live happily ever after. She supposed that Kiba would be all right for Hinata, even though she had always assumed they shared more of a siblings bond. She also supposed that she should be happy that it was Naruto that Kagome became attached to, instead of someone else—like Sasuke—since that meant that she would not become competition for her. Sakura was not much, and she would kick her into the background once Sasuke defeated his brother, but she was not sure how well she could have faired against someone like Kagome. The girl's sweet, innocent, yet mystery nature was something that drew men to her, and she would hate to see what would happen if she settled her sights onto Sasuke.

Ino already knew the outcome! Sasuke's heart would be ripped from his cold fingers, as they tried so hard to keep it hidden and locked away, and settled between Kagome's vicious fangs. The girl, if she had been the type, would never let such a rare treasure go, and Sasuke would do little to stop her once he was under her spell.

Shikamaru blinked, watching as Ino's face went from blissful to horrified. Then, she gave a small whimper, and he knew instantly that she was thinking of something that concerned her precious Uchiha Sasuke. There was no doubt in his mind, and Shikamaru was a genius who did not get those types of things wrong when it came to his old teammates.

* * *

He kicked his foot in the dirt, a small blush forming on his cheeks. She had already asked him if he was sick, and he had told her no, but the fluttering in his stomach made him wonder if he had been wrong in the evaluation of his body. "I wanted to ask you something, Kagome-chan," he finally stated.

Kagome looked up at him, a small frown forming on the edge of her lips. "You can ask me anything, Naruto-kun, you know that," she replied. She did not know what was wrong with him, but she hoped that the question he wished to ask would bring it out in the light. After all, she did not like it when her friend was ill, or down about something that he refused to talk about.

"Well, I already asked Hinata-chan, and Sakura-chan," Naruto sighed, "and a lot of the other girls, but…"

Kagome tilted her head a bit, and ignored the strange beat of her heart.

"…none of them are available to go with me to that Christmas party. They all have someone their going with—and I even tried to get Sasuke-teme to go with me, but the bastard refuses to go with anyone. And," Naruto scratched the back of his neck, "I was wondering if you would like to… you know?"

"You want me to go with you, Naruto-kun?" she asked. She felt the tension in her chest leave suddenly, happiness flooding into her body and tingling in its path.

"Yeah," Naruto nodded. "I mean, if no ones asked ya yet."

"I'd be happy to go with you, Naruto-kun," Kagome smiled.

Naruto grinned, "Ok. Thanks a lot, Kagome-chan! I'll make sure that your gift is the spectacular of them all because of this! And I won't take no for an answer, since you deserve it because of this!"

"I'm sure I'll love it," Kagome replied. She refused to tell him that he did not need to get her anything, even though she did not think he needed to go to the effort, because of that smile on his face. He wanted to make her happy, and if making her happy made him happy, then she would take the gift without complaint.

"Of course you will," Naruto continued. "And, if you don't, I'll find something even better!"

Kagome smiled as he beamed at her.

* * *

Sakura watched as Naruto followed Kagome around the room. She was handing out the gifts that she had brought to their owners, and smiling in embarrassment as Naruto told Neji that he had brought the best date of them all. However, she knew that though they had come together, Naruto was still being only friendly, and Kagome was avoiding telling Naruto what she obviously felt. After all, if Kagome would  _just_  tell him, he would finally stop acting only friendly with her, even if he looked and acted awkward doing it.

Then, Sakura watched them as they moved onto Sasuke after Neji thanked her. The box given to him was slightly smaller than the one Neji had received was, but Sakura was curious as to what was inside it. She stepped forward a bit more and watched as Sasuke stripped the pretty blue wrapping paper from the box and then popped the top open. And, though Sakura told herself to pay attention to what Naruto and Kagome were doing, she was surprised to find that Kagome had given Sasuke black and red dragon pendant. She was positive that it would look awesome on Sasuke, and Kagome had obviously put some thought into it, which made her pause for just a moment.

However, as Sakura turned her attention away from the present that Sasuke had gotten—and Kagome obviously thought a lot about, which meant she had been thinking  _about_  Sasuke—she noticed that Kagome was looking out a window. Naruto was  _not_  standing next to her, and many eyes had been cast upward toward the small piece of greenery that was above her head. Sakura's eyes widened when she realized what Kagome was standing under, while staring out the window without a care on her face.

What was out there that fascinated her so much, Sakura would never know.

Neji and Kiba had taken arrogant steps toward the Higurashi, standing alone and defenseless against their shinobi skills. Then, after those two had made the first move, the other arrogant males in the room took a few steps forward, too. And Sakura almost screamed at them to back off, when she realized that Kagome was  _not_  as alone as she seemed. Naruto was not directly next to her, but he was not far off, and was staring up at the mistletoe that Kagome had positioned herself under—whether unknowingly or not. However, it would not matter if he simply stood there gawking, while the others got to her and fought over which of them got there first, therefore got to kiss her.

"Naruto, you idiot," Sakura muttered under her breath when she realized how close the others were getting. It appeared that Neji would be the one to win the race, even if he had stated himself that he held no interest in Kagome.

Then, the unexpected, Naruto stepped forward. Sakura almost let her mouth drop open when she realized that Naruto  _had_  moved! The blonde was walking toward Kagome with a long stride, not paying attention to Neji, Kiba, or any of the others as Neji thrust his arm out to stop them. Oh, and Sakura could have sworn she felt tears gather in her eyes, since she was sure that it would be the sweetest sight that she had ever seen. Naruto would kiss Kagome, he would get the girl, then he could start dating her, and maybe one-day make a family.

 _Family_. Sakura's pretty little image came to a stop when she realized that children of Naruto's would probably act a lot like Naruto. And she hated herself for encouraging him, since she did not need another Naruto—or two, or three, or however many hellions they decided to have—ready and able to bother her.

However, Sakura's plight did not stop Naruto's advance, or the hand that he placed onto Kagome's shoulder. The girl turned toward him, still not realizing where she was standing, and smiled brightly. "It's snowing outside, Naruto-kun," she stated, giving the reason why she had been standing there in the first place. Sakura, though, nearly bit her lip as she watched Naruto's head tilt slightly upward, a blush rising onto his cheeks, and then Kagome's rise to look up, too.

A pretty blush spread over Kagome's cheeks after a moment, and she quickly lowered her head once more. Then, Naruto's hand captured her chin, and he pulled her head up so that she was staring into his eyes. They stayed like that for a moment, before Naruto finally leaned down a bit, and hesitantly placed his lips onto hers. But, after a small moment, he pressed his lips to hers fully, showing her how he felt and feeling her hand slid over his beating heart.

"Aww," Ino sighed, nudging Shikamaru again. "I told you they were cute!"

"Whatever," Shikamaru sighed.

Sakura smiled, for even though her world would shatter with another Naruto raising hell on the land, they were adorable. Naruto was holding Kagome as if she would suddenly get away, and Kagome was holding onto him as if she was desperate for his touch. They looked so happy, and she wished once more that she had someone to make her feel that way, but supposed that one day she would. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday she would slip her fingers down to intertwine with someone elses the way theirs had, and feel the truth settled between them.

For now, though, Sakura was just happy that Naruto and Kagome would not be blind to the others feeling anymore. And that she would have something to talk about with the others for a while—that her friends found out about their love for one another on Christmas, when the snow finally started to fall in Konoha that year.

_-Fin_


End file.
